Yotsuba&!

This fall will mark the 20th anniversary of the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV anime series which first premiered in October of 1995. In celebration of this major milestone the original TV series and movies are being remastered i...

The greatest thing to come out of Wonder Festival Winter was Sentinel’s take on Danboard. They took this charming cardboard robot and threw him up in space. That sounds kind of cruel, but no they made him a spaceship!
...

Here we are with another booth, straight from the floor at San Diego Comic Con. Here, we have several anime and video game items from Kotobukiya.
The thing that'll likely grab your attention is the excellent looking Levi and ...

It's a well known fact that all decent human beings love Yotsuba&! and therefore should feel nothing but glee when new merchandise is announced. Today it's Kotobukiya's turn to draw out our 'awwwws' as they're puttin...

For me, the coolest thing to come out of Wonder Festival Winter was Sentinel’s Danboard. I mean, come on! It’s Danbo in space!
So now we have a preview of three of these Danbo figures. None of these are from the ...

For my friend, Graham’s birthday, I wanted to forgo getting him a gift, and instead just cook him an awesome meal. He introduced me to this Mexican restaurant called Juanitos Restaurant where we both love their ground ...

Why is Danbo such a popular figure? I couldn’t wait to get one! Of course, I am a fan of the manga, Yotsubato, but Danbo is hardly a main character there.
So, really it’s just a figure of a cardboard box, and th...

Sentinel have carved out quite a reputation as a maker of fantastic poseable mecha toys. Having worked their way up through lesser lights such as Gurren Lagann and Canti, they're now ready to take on the ultimate robot. Yes, ...

Whipping up a stormThe continuing lack of figures from Yotsuba&! is a crime that Chara-Ani only partially managed to remedy a few months ago when they put up their rather lovely version of Fuuka Ayase. Now though they've gone and annou...

One of the figure industry's greatest crimes is that there's not more figures based on the cast of Yotsuba&!. Kiyohiko Azuma's adorable manga about the life of a five year old girl is universally beloved among people...

Kotobukiya has released a preview gallery for its upcoming Yotsubato! Danboard Strap Charm. The tiny cardboard box robot stands just under 1 inch tall and comes with both a strap attachment and an iPhone audio plug. The...

There was a time when new Revoltech figures came as frequently as figma do today. These days Kaiyodo seems content with releasing a few new figures every month next to a pile of reissues and repaints. In October it was the th...

From Yotsubato! other than Yotsuba herself, the most popular character from that manga is Danbo. Danbo, the cute cardboard robot, is now available in a more cuddlier form. Previously, I’ve mostly seen Danbo as Plamos a...

[Update] New photos have been added, including Revoltechs for Jessie of Toy Story and the collection of Iron Man.
As the hosts of the show, I would've thought that Kaiyodo would have had more on display. Not diminishing what ...

Jul 17 //
Brian SzabelskiFigure Name: Yotsuba Koiwai plastic model kitFigure Maker: KotobukiyaPrice: US$29.99Available at: KotoUS Shop
So, should we start out with the box? There's not a whole lot to discuss, with a fairly simple front and one of the side panels acting as the back of the box (the actual back is blank) ... but that front is just eye-catching. Probably because it's simple: here is Yotsuba, an exclamation mark and her name, made to feel like she sees you and is waving hello. This is one of the cases where a clean, simple design works really well.
However, inside that box were several trays of plastic pieces all assembled on their trees, and there's a lot to look at here. Actual assembly of the kit took me close to an hour (though I prolonged the process a bit by trying to remove as much flash as I could before assembling all these pieces) and was rather simple. The provided instructions are easy to follow, and I think the hardest thing I had to do was line up one tiny peg with another smaller hole for her knee joints.
The end result looks like this:
Fully assembled, Yotsuba is scaled well to her proportions from the manga, and faithful to Kiyohiko Azuma's work. She's in her trademark outfit (salmon and white shirt, albeit the long-sleeved version; tan shorts; white socks; red and white shoes). Yes, there are seams all over the place, but it's a plamo kit; were you expecting anything else from something you had to assemble? At best, I can say that the seams are not distracting, even if they aren't masked by armor like they are in my Mega Man and Protoman kits.
Most of Yotsuba's joints are indeed visible, but that's generally what you get with any plamo kit. There's a fair amount of swivel, ball-and-socket, and cylindrincal joints on Yotsuba, with decidedly few of the ball-and-socket kind. More or less, Kotobukiya's held back on a lot of the joints except for the ones that are really needed ... though her four little pigtails get joints. So yes, you can pose them all.
But holy crap, I am surprised with what you can do with Yotsuba. She feels as poseable as any figma, Revoltech or Figuarts piece, and unlike some of my experience with Mega Man, her joints don't seem to come loose as quickly. Time will tell if that stays the case, but so far, I've not had any issues with joints popping out of place.
Accessories wise, she comes with a lot: five faces, tons of hands to switch in and out, her teddie, a bag to carry stuff in, a kazoo, a camera, and a bubble wand. The kazoo isn't really much to write about, just a little piece of cylindrical plastic that I mistook as a marker for the longest time, and the over-the-shoulder bag is enough for Yotsuba to carry anything small.
As mentioned, like those other figures, Yotsuba has interchangeable hands and faces. Swapping them out is really no different an experience, as her front bangs are removable.
This is the "default" face, or as I call it, the curious face. It's my least favorite of the five because really, it's just lacking in expression compared to all of them, but it's fine for what it's supposed to be.
One of Yotsuba's accessories is a camera, seen unpainted here. Most of her accessories will come unpainted so you can paint them however you like. As I am not so good with the paintwork, I chose to leave them in their unpainted state for the review. It's a small piece assembled out of two parts, with a special hand that holds it in place. Not too bad.
The centerpiece of the accessories, though, is probably Duralumin, Yotsuba's teddie bear. There are no special hands to hold her, so you'll have to balance it in her hands as I did here, but it's not too terrible.
You can also see Yotsuba's third face, a super-excited one. It's essentially the same as the happy one with different eyes, and like the curious face, does its job well. Still, it's out-classed by the last two faces we have yet to show off.
I should also mention at this point that Yotsuba comes with water-based decals and two blank faces, so you can make your own expressions should you choose. The decals feature a number of different options to pick from, so if you want slightly sad Yotsuba or super intense Yotsuba ... you can do that.
Again unpainted, Duralumin has a nice, plush-styled texture to him, and his eyes, ears, nose and mouth have all been sculpted in good detail. Of course, it'll look a little better with some black paint for the nose and eyes, but that's up to you.
Oh no ... Duralumin ... poor Yotsuba. Here, you get to see two things: one is a sitting part that allows Yotsuba to actually sit down without difficulty. It's an interesting choice to include this, but actually one I'm thankful for, because it makes putting Yotsuba on your shelf a lot easier. Swapping out the parts are a two-part process, but one that's not too difficult: you remove her top half to attach the sitting part, and then remove and attach each leg at the upper thigh.
There's also a second part that allows you to swap Yotsuba's body with that of Danboard, if you'd like, which I haven't previewed here because I haven't assembled my Danboard kit I previously received as a gift. I'm pretty sure I'll be doing that now that I have the option to use Yotsuba and Danboard together.
The other is Yotsuba's crying face, which is awesome. Kotobukiya has done a wonderful job of capturing Kiyohiko Azuma's style in this face, right down to the uneven, sketch-like eyes. But there is another that is even better ...
Well, great. Now she's angry. Here, we get to see Yotsuba's rage face, probably my favorite of the bunch because you can get a ton of use out of it. Combined with the pointing hand, she's angry at me about ... something, I guess. And look out! She's got a bubble wand that might just end up in my face. I have to say, this is my favorite pose I put Yotsuba in, if only because I can imagine her 6-year-old self being angry enough about something to try attacking someone with something as harmless as a bubble wand.
A closer look from the bottom on the wand:
It's nicely scaled down, and what's better is the plastic rings don't feel fragile, like you might drop them and break them. Unlike what happens with some of them in real life ...
I'll cut right to the chase: though the assembly took a bit, Kotobukiya's Yotsuba is an absolute joy. She's a sturdy figure when assembled, poses well, and comes with a wide variety of accessories that allow you to get a ton of use out of her. I only wish things like Duralumin and the camera had come painted so that their details really popped out, but it's a minor gripe. It's a kit that, if you're a Yotsuba&! fan, you can't go wrong with.
[Thanks to Kotobukiya for sending along Yotsuba for review!]

More than just a little awesomeIt sure doesn't seem like October was when we first found out about Kotobukiya's Yotsuba plastic model kit, because I feel like I've been waiting a while for her. It was, if nothing else, a total surprise for me, but one I wa...

If the full size Danboard re-release wasn't enough cardboard box robot for you, you're in luck, as Kaiyodo are releasing a swarm of smaller Mini Revoltech versions of Danboard, this time in collaboration with famous brands. E...

Anybody who has a beating heart loves Yotsuba&! and that's the truth. It's backed up by the fact that Kaiyodo's Revoltech versions of Yotsuba and her famous cardboard robot friend Danboard remain hugely popular, inspiring...

Apr 05 //
Brian SzabelskiFigure Name: CapsuleQ Fraulein Yotsuba & Monochrome Animals Figure Maker: Kaiyodo Retail Price: ¥3,048 (8-piece box) Available at: HobbyLink Japan (8-piece box) | 24-piece box)
So we start with ... the ball. Yeah, there are no boxes here, just a large pink ball with a plastic wrapper holding in all the figure goodness. Not a lot to talk about here, except that the balls were a lot larger than I expected ... and that last statement shouldn't be taken in inappropriate ways, readers.
And here's what's inside. In case you're wondering where the heck the figures even come from, they draw inspiration from a picture book called ... wait for it ... "Yotsuba & Monochrome Animals." The entire book is Yotsuba playing with animals, and it was released more than six years ago in December 2006.
The random assortment of 8 pieces gives us four of the five figures from the set; sadly, the Abyssinian Colobus figure is missing, so it can't be reviewed, but let's hop on in and check the other four out:
First off, here's the dalmatian figure. It's basic enough: Yotsuba is reaching out with a smile on her face to shake the dog's paw. It's my favorite of the bunch because it seems like such an everyday kind of thing that you can imagine Yotsuba doing.
The black spots on the dalmatian's face do obscure this a little bit, but Kaiyodo has included detailed eyes on the dog. They're small, but I can assure you they are there and in Kiyohiko Azuma's style. It's nice to see they weren't forgotten about even on a small mass-produced figure such as this one.
As for our star here, Yotsuba is perhaps at her best with this figure. Kaiyodo has done a wonderful job capturing the essence of her personality with the sculpt. It's the largest of the four Yotsubas in our review, which gives Kaiyodo a bit more leeway to add in details.
Next up, we have Yotsuba and the anteater. The anteater is just kind of trudging along, and Yotsuba is watching with curious wonder. Simple, yet effective.
The tail of the anteater is a separate piece that fits in, and a seamline is visible there. The anteater's fur has some volume to it even on such a small sculpt and the paint on both figures here is clean.
I am still puzzled, though, about why these small figures have a seamline in the hair. I'm guessing it's for assembly purposes to avoid paint issues, but you'd think on such a small figure, they'd have figured out how to get the same effect sans seam? It's not as if this is a figma or Revoltech and you'll need to swap her head out ...
Speaking of the head, though, Kaiyodo has included one nice little feature: neck articulation. There's not a lot you can really do besides tilt and rotate Yotsuba's head with the ball joint, but it's actually a nice little feature. Why? What little articulation it provides can be used to create some different looks for the gashapon, depending on if you want her trying to emulate the anteater or just staring at it curiously. Nothing earth-shattering or breath-taking, but still, an option that's alright to have.
Next, we move on to Yotsuba and the Holstein cow. The cow is a two-piece figure, joining just behind the front legs (you can see the seam line in the photo) and attaching to the base via holes that slot into little pegs. It took me a little bit to get on there, but it doens't tip or fall apart once the cow is on there.
The one noticeable defect I found was a surface paint crack on her shoes. It is noticeable from a distance, but it doesn't appear to have any other effects besides looking like it's worse than it really is.
As for Yotsuba herself, she's tiny to fit in scale with the cow and probably about the right size, too. She rests on a peg and is a little prone to falling off since it's a small peg, but again, Kaiyodo has done well getting small details included without defects being present everywhere. And of course, she's drinking a glass of milk; adorable.
There's a little less detail in paint (and more in sculpt) on the cow's head. The eyes are not painted in the same manner as the dalmatian, but they are defined better with the sculpted eyelids. However, unless you're looking at it from close up, the detail can get a little lost in the monochrome color scheme.
For our last figure, we find Yotsuba in an environment that suits her well: the water. Except she's with an orca. Seems kind of dangerous to let a small child play around with such a big beast, but then again, it's a manga character and I am probably on the verge of overthinking this.
In any case, we have the two swimming together, Yotsuba in her wet suit, with a look of determination on her face. What impresses me most is how clean the paint is on Yotsuba for a figure her size; it would have been pretty easy to mess this one up.
This is the tiniest Yotsuba of the four, slightly smaller than the one with the cow, and also has the tiniest point of attachment. If you can't see it, it's on her right hand and attaches into the fin of the orca. Needless to say, this makes her really easy to dislodge, so be careful handling the gashapon piece.
Like the cow, the orca's face has some detailing for the eye but it's not easy to see. You know, just like orcas in real life, but what is here is decent enough to do the job. Also like the cow, it's a two-piece figure, assembling together near the tail with a visible seamline.
The orca's peg is a bit larger, attaching on the tail, but it was also the hardest peg for me to fit into place. It just didn't want to cooperate at first and I was afraid I might snap the PVC piece in two for a bit. However, it eventually did fit in and it's sturdy as can be once you get it assembled.
Kaiyodo's first crack at Yotsuba gashapon figures isn't a bad one. The figures are definitely more for Yotsuba&! fans than anyone else, and for their expected price range, they're what you'd expect to find. Kaiyodo's team has captured enough of the essence of Yotsuba — the youthful energy, innocence and curiosity that her character portrays — to make these figures worthwhile for fans of the green-haired little girl without seeming like a cheap cash-in effort. Fans who just want more Yotsuba, period, will probably enjoy this series of figures more than those just looking for something to add to their collection, but regardless of why you might pick them up, they're a good purchase if you do.
[Thanks to HobbyLink Japan for sending the set along for review!]

Enjoy everything ... about this gashapon setIf any one series brought me back to anime and manga ... it was actually InuYasha, but it was Yotsuba&! that really kept my attention going when I was looking for something new to dive into. Kiyohiko Azuma's previous work...

Oh how I love this cute little girl! From Yotsuba&!, Yotsuba is back playing with animals in this second series of capsule toys.
This time Yotsuba makes friends with a giant panda, Malayan tapir, Adelie penguin, a ze...

Feb 14 //
Jon Wills
Brian's Hatsukoi Figurine: Revoltech Yotsuba
If any one figure gave me a kick in the butt on collecting, it would have to be Revoltech Yotsuba. I first saw her shortly after I'd gotten into the joyous bundle of pages that are the Yotsuba&! tankobons, and I knew that I had to have her for my — at the time — relatively tiny collection. She was also the first poseable figure of any sort I'd owned since I had my G.I. Joes when I was younger and with all those joints came new avenues to have fun with my otherwise static collection of figures. I could have her climb up a tree; look excited to be sitting in front of a giant cookie for dinner; or even have her tucked around a corner, water pistol in hand, ready to squirt the next person who crossed her path in the face. Or, in short, it made collecting more fun.
She's still my go-to figure when I need something funny to shoot out in the wide open world, and the only one I've ever taken on a trip with me. I'm not sure I'd have an interest in poseable figures or even in figure photography without Yotsuba around to give me that first push into a new world. While Danbo or Cheerful Kaito might have a little more of my attention now a days, I always have time for Yotsuba.
Kristina's Hatsukoi Figurine: Banpresto Prize Figure Nagi
I got into toy collecting without really realizing it. It started with two totally different things.
The first big thing was that I'd been into Kannagi in 2009 and I wanted to buy a cute figure of Nagi (the main character of that show). I don't know why it struck me, and I was, I dunno... inspired. I also went to Japan that year, so I decided to go hunting for one. I passed on every Nendoroid I saw in all the different stores because I thought they looked stupid, and eventually a friend helped me out and walked me through all the second-hand shops at Akihabara until we found one. I appreciate it a little more now than I did then, because I now can identify it as a licensed prize figure (Banpresto). I'm also happy to note that she's still in stellar condition.
A few months after that, I got into Vinylmation collecting. Again, I just kind of got into it without even knowing. I walked into a Disney Parks store and saw them behind the register, and I thought they were the cutest thing. Little Mickey-shaped figures, all with different little designs? Awesome! I'll take three. And that's where it started, and that has led to... well, a much more sizable collection. I'm actually too embarrassed to bother counting how many of those figures I've got, so I stopped keeping track. I'm not ashamed of my collection or anything, I just stopped caring about the number once I ran out of shelf space.
Tian's Hatsukoi Figurine: Orchid Seed's Lineage II Elf
I started collecting toys after finding out about Tomopop, but the thing that got me collecting bishoujo figures was Orchid Seed's Lineage II Elf. The lady doesn't even have a name, but I saw some reviews of her online that left a thorough impression. The sculpt was amazing, her face was really pretty, and I liked the job they did on her skin tones. Of course I have to mention the cast-off feature, where you could remove her jacket and skirt to show off a great butt. Orchid Seed kind of messed up the sculpting of her underwear, but they got that butt just right. To date, this is my only Orchid Seed figure, and I still think it's their best.
One of the first shots I took of this figure was with a desk lamp over it and a dark background. I decided to recreate that shot for this feature because I liked the way the light falls on her hair and clothing from above.
Jon's Hatsukoi Figurine: Alter's Azusa Nakano
I began my collection with a Banpresto prize figure of Piccolo from DBZ and a One Coin set of Tales of Symphonia and Vesperia. These figures were cool sure, but my collection never really grew into an obsession until I purchased my first Alter figure of Azusa Nakano from K-On!
I still remember the day I was browsing Japanator and stumbled into a linked review at Tomopop for Azusa. After reading her review, I just had to have one for myself. However, because I was new to collecting, I had a hard time justifying spending a lot of cash on her. After much deliberation, I decided I would buy her and that she would be a cheerleader of sorts for me. She would encourage me to work and to write. Looking back, I would say she has done her job well.
My fingers were trembling with excitement when me and my best friend opened Azusa's box and pulled her out for the first time. In a word, I would say she that she was "adorable." She was my first really super detailed figurine. I wanted to keep every single piece of her figurine intact. I even wanted to keep the little clear plastic pieces that came off her arms and legs because they, too, seemed to be cute.
Speaking of cuteness, her face still ranks as one of the cutest in my collection. I have also always had a soft spot for twin tails. Still, Azusa is more than just cute. Her guitar is really realistic from end to end. I often look at it and admire the handy work done to make it look like it was made out of wood and the guitar strings still shine after all these years.
Azusa was my first figure that really looked like she was in motion. From the flutter of her skirt and pose of the legs to her twin tails and big open mouthed face, she was moving. Someone even commented to me that she looked like she was about to leap off my desk!
Unfortunately for me, she did leap off my desk. You see, I never really set aside a proper shelf for her and despite how much I say that I loved her. I really loved her about the same way that Yui from K-On! loved her guitar - Okay, I'll say it - I was a careless owner. Truth be told, she took a tumble or two and before I knew it, a few of the frets of her guitar had broken off.
It took a little work but me and my father fixed her using a metal pipe from a model railroad kit and a set of pearl beads I purchased from Michaels. While the end result was not perfect, I feel like repairing Azusa instead of replacing her with a new figure made her that much more important to me, because now she was uniquely my Azusa.
Eventually, I had to collect the whole group, because Azusa would be sad if she was left alone by herself without any of her friends, so I bought the band and Ui, too. I also have Nodoka on pre-order. Of course, I slowly branched out from K-On! to collect figurines from a few other shows and series as well. But Alter's Azusa and K-On! band really spear-headed the whole collecting operation!
I didn't stop collecting figurines of Azusa with just her lovely Alter version either. I bought her figma for a bargain price when I purchased Alter's Mugi. One year at Animazement, I bought the set of mini Nendoroids for all of the girls, Azusa included. Also I managed to snag an import of her Kyoto Animation limited edition strawberry figure, which I have yet to unbox to this day. I think this is the one figure that I own I will never un-box. In all, I am pleased with all of the figures I picked to collect of her, but sometimes I regret not buying her Nendoroid or the Max Factory version of Azusa teasing a cat.
After it's all said and done, I have to say that I love my figure of Azusa. We have been through a lot together and learned a lot together. I have formed memories with many people I am close to thanks to her. Also, she sparked my love for Alter figurines and was my gateway of sorts to photography, writing, and collecting far more than what I had planned to!
Well, that wraps up what our Hatsukoi figurines are! What are some of the figures that got you hooked on your collections, Tomopeeps? Share them with us in the comments.

These figures are the foundations for our collectionsEver look over your collections and think about what started it all in the first place? As collectors, we always treasure new and old things, but there is always a special place in our hearts for the first things we collect.
The header images may make it obvious, but hit the jump to see what figurine kick started many of our editors' collections.

Andy from Kaiju Korner was at Wonder Festival 2013 Winter, and he's brought back a ton of news and photos from the indie toy makers who were at the show. Since this is their first big event of 2013, there were a lot of new th...

Kotobukiya had a diverse array of products on display at the Miyazawa Model Exhibition. You can see some of their character model kits, such as the Combat-san Rookie, Yotsuba&!'s Danbo (and miniature version) and Yotsuba,...

Kaiyodo's attendance at Dengeki Festival was mostly a chance for them to show off some new Capsule Q Fraulein figures. That included two releases coming in January: the Fate/Zero set that comes with two Sabers, Irisviel,...

Scheduled for March releaseLast week as New York Comic Con kicked off, Kotobukiya held its Hobby Exhibiition event in Akihabara and showed off new figures and new Cu-Poche. But one thing was missing from all that coverage, and we're rectifying that rig...

Yotsuba&! is one of those titles, like many others, that I have been needing to check out. Especially since it has been used a many of times by the anime community. Speaking of many times, how many times can Kaiyodo relea...

Last week, we brought you the news about Kaiyodo's upcoming Yotsuba&! trading figure series, which is coming out now in December. Now, we're happy to let you know pre-orders for the set have opened up, and it seems l...

What better way to follow up Kotobukiya's existing Danboard kit than with a smaller Danboard? This version of the Yotsuba&! and general internet mascot is a mere three inches tall, but features a surprising amount of pose...

As a fan of Yotsuba&!, I've loved seeing Danbo get so much love... but what about the green-haired girl herself? It's been few and far between on the figure front, but great news! Kaiyodo is releasing a new trading figur...

Fellow Danbo fans, our time has come. No more scan teases for us: Kotobukiya's Danboard plastic model kit is here for pre-order. Danbo will come with parts that let you pull off the lit eyes effect without batteries, as well ...

ZORKOkay, what on earth happened to Tomopop? Why is it so desolate nowadays?2-DAfter one year of collecting minus a Castle Crasher figure and amiibos. Desperately trying to cut back but just seen a cheap Tifa figure on eBay.....Cornelius RoyIf you're an Avatar fans and noticed Chief Beifong figure on SDCC, the dream lives on.
http://zwyerind.com/ there's a banner labelled coming soon...Jeremy Emerje CrockerWeekly top sales are on an indefinite hiatus. My source, Toynes.jp, abruptly stopped making regular postings including rankings. I'll resume whenever they do. :(Niero GonzalezTesting Quickposts! You can now use Tomopop like Twitter